hagels68

im assuming this would be an age old cont. but what are pros and cons to lets say ford racing, smeding. ect. crate motors compared to a custom rebuild. has anyone had bad luck with these crates

67mustang302

Crate motors are more of a cookie cutter type engine designed to work in a wide array of vehicles across a wide array of applications. They'll generally cost less, and come with some sort of a warranty, but won't provide the best performance for your particular vehicle and what you want to do with it. Custom builds are going to be more tailored to your vehicle and what your goals are, and will often perform better, but cost more.

Keep in mind this is a rather broad generality. With a custom build you get exactly what you want in the engine though.

andrewmp6

Ford racing your buying a name other companies make better engines for the same price.But if it was me i would have a engine builder build me what i want to have its cheaper too.The question is do you want a 302 or 351w efi or carb any stroking and how much power you want to make.If your going this far i would get a over drive tranny aod or t5 and re gear the rear end to match the tranny you'll love the car on the highways.

fakesnakes

Over the years, I've purchased five crate engines from Ford Racing (two are in the videos in my signature - 392w 430HP engine in the Daytona Coupe and 347 450HP Boss engine in the Mustang) and an equal number from other engine builders. I disagree with the comment about Ford crate engines being too generic. There are so many to select from that you can easily pick one for your application. Unless you are Urban Cowboy or someone that regularly races their car, custom ground cams, specially ported heads, and custom tuned carbs are frankly only good for bragging rights. The fact that we regularly debate Edelbrock carbs vs. Holley and the clones says that the above is true. I like the Ford engines for three primary reasons - value for money, warranty backing, and performance (quality and matching of components).

Frankly, there is little margin for the engine builder and any great deal, rarely turns out to be such when you look at the quality of components used and longevity of the engine. For 95% of the people on this site, any reputable crate engine is more than enough and the costs will be almost identical. If they are not, please ask yourself why not!

jspagna1

I totally agree with fakesnakes comments. When I was building my car 11 years ago, I had the choice of rebuilding the stock 1968 302 that came in the car or buying a Ford Racing GT40 Crate Motor. I went with the crate motor. Over the years I did make changes to the motor, TFS TW Aluminum Heads, 1.7 RR's and alike. Car runs as strong and as dependable today as it did when I put the motor in 11 years ago.
I maybe have 11-12,000 miles on the motor so I still have a good base if I want to Stokr it or Supercharge it in the future. I would say that was money well spent.

67mustang302

Like I said, it depends on what you want to do. I almost never see guys at the drag strip with crate engines being the fastest. Crate engines are fine for just about everyone out there, and will usually meet or exceed their expectations, but again, it gets back to what you want to do with the car. They're a really good value, but if you're concerned enough about performance that you're willing to spend more money, then a crate engine might not be the best choice for you.

andrewmp6

look up world casting they build better crate engines then ford racing.If you want like 300hp most engine builders can do that but you want higher numbers you better have a good builder.Mine was a short block from world and i put afr ported heads on it i make some big numbers but i saved a lot doing it myself.First time engine builder you need to buy some special tools and have someone watch you.You can mess it up lol.

fakesnakes

I like Andrew's approach for the DIYer that doesn't want to mess with the tools and precision of the bottom end. Everything else is basically a bolt on and you can have a decent engine for a reasonable price. Also, you can pick the pan, timing cover/water pump, fuel pump, cam, flex plate/flywheel, balancer, distributor, heads, intake and carb that you want. It is almost the best of both worlds!

rmodel65

give woody a call at Ford Strokers http://www.fordstrokers.com/

67mustang302

Yeah, buying a short block can be an excellent alternative. That way most of the major building is done, and if you get one without a cam(or one you pick) then you can select your h/c/i setup for whatever your goal is for the engine. It's great for people without the tools and knowledge to build an engine, and typically saves money over having a custom build done.